10 Unstoppable Plays Team USA Must Run vs. Spain

Simply put, Team USA's exhibition matchup versus Spain on July 24 will tell us nearly everything we need to know about the impending Olympic tournament.

If Team USA comes out and routs the Spanish squad, then the Americans should walk into London as overwhelming favorites for their fifth gold in their past six tries.  

However, if the Spaniards come out firing as well as they did in the 2008 championship game, then the U.S. squad could be in for a heap of trouble.

The key for the United States is how well they come together as a cohesive unit. What are some plays the team could run help aid their cause? Here's a breakdown of 10 plays the U.S. squad could run to ensure victory.  

(Note: A lot of these videos are brought to you by the indespensible NBA Playbook YouTube channel.)

LeBron James and Chris Paul: Pick-and-Roll

Unfortunately, we don't have a video of this one because Team USA hasn't put the world's best pure passer and world's best rim finisher in PNR situations yet.

Regardless, LBJ and CP3 are best friends off the court and work out together almost every summer. If their chemistry is even half as good on-court as it is off, Team USA would be looking at the most dynamic pick-and-roll duo in the world. 

(Note: I mostly want Team USA to run LeBron and Paul pick-and-rolls so I can change my laptop background to never-ending series of animated GIFs from the inevitable James throw downs.)

Kevin Durant: Put the Ball in His Hands, Watch Good Things Happen

As we have seen throughout Team USA's exhibition season, Durant is a matchup nightmare on the international scene.

The ease with which he drains the international three-pointer means defenders have to stay close, but Durant's speed is often too much for his defender as well. Coach's move of Durant to the starting lineup was genius and should only pay dividends when the games actually matter. 

Russell Westbrook: Pick-and-Roll Isolation Drive

We all know how dynamic Russell Westbrook can be in isolation for the Oklahoma City Thunder.

However, with Westbrook making the shift over to shooting guard for the Olympics, point guards Deron Williams and Chris Paul will have to make a concerted effort to get Westbrook the ball in space.

If Team USA finds a usable isolation set for Westbrook, then he could single-handedly win them a game with his hot hand. And the beauty is, he won't have the chance to shoot the Americans out of a game, either.

Deron Williams: Spot-Up Shot off of a Screen

Williams will spend around 90 percent of his on-court minutes at the point guard slot in London, so his off-ball knockdowns will have to come from passes from either LeBron James or Kobe Bryant.

Team USA's biggest strength is that they have enough ball-handling infrastructure to allow D-Will to thrive off-ball if need be. The coaching staff will also need to be cognizant of size differentials, as Williams could dominate in the post against smaller guards.  

Oklahoma City Thunder's Pindown Screen Play

Thunder fans can credit this play with their NBA Finals run because it proved unstoppable for the older San Antonio Spurs.

As you can see here, the play initially tries to bait both defenders into Russell Westbrook in the post to open Kevin Durant up for a three-pointer. But the Spurs stifle that plan by smartly staying at ball-and-man position.

The problem comes when Kawhi Leonard cheats too far to prevent Durant drive and leaves Harden wide open after a nice Serge Ibaka.

Team USA should have the ball-handling and outside shooting prowess to run this play with perfection.  

Carmelo Anthony: Isolation Spin Move

Sometimes you simply give your best players the rock and hope they do the right thing with it. And while Carmelo has shown a penchant for overshooting in the past, he's seemingly more mature this time around.

But if Melo's shot is going down, it's in Team USA's best interest to give Melo the ball and allow him to show us why he's among the world's best. And if he's taking players off the ball with that spin move, whomever we're playing is in trouble. 

LeBron James: Isolation Post Up

Much like Oklahoma City can thank its pin-down screen play for their Western Conference championship, Miami can thank LeBron's vastly improved post game for its NBA title.

James is too strong for small forwards to guard him, too quick for power forwards and too athletic for centers. When he sets up in the post, he's a matchup nightmare because there needs to be two defenders keying on LBJ at all times.

That's how the Shane Battiers and Mike Millers of the world get so wide open. And to say Team USA has better shooters than Battier and Miller is a cavernous understatement.  

Chris Paul and Tyson Chandler: Old School New Orleans Alley-Oop

Hornets fans may be giddy about the potential of Team USA member Anthony Davis, but they'd be lying if they said they weren't wistful for the days of CP3-to-Chandler alley-oops.

Paul might not be as quick and Chandler may not be able to fly as high, but the undeniable chemistry those two had on the court will carry over to London. To say their games fit like a glove would be cliche, but there is no more apt comparison.

Kobe Bryant: High Post Isolation

It's become a running joke that every Lakers possession now consists of Kobe isolating on the high post, jostling with his defender and then pump faking until the opposition bites.

But there's a reason Bryant uses that strategy so often—it works.  

Take this possession from 2011, for example. Bryant gets the ball with just 10 seconds left on the shot clock and holds it down to six. At that point, every pro defender knows Bryant doesn't have enough time to properly get to the rim. Regardless, Oklahoma City's James Harden bites on Bryant's first ball fake and leaves Kobe open to take a step back 17-footer.  

And that entire sequence is based on Harden's respect of Bryant. That certainly won't change on the international level, where Kobe is rightfully deified as the United States' best player.  

Miami Heat's Elbow Stagger Play

For all of the isolation sets that the Miami Heat ran last season, this elbow stagger play became vital to their playoff success.

With the ball in his hands, LeBron has multiple options for this set. He could simply take his defender off the dribble or try to draw a double team in the post. But on this possession, LeBron simply acts as a decoy as Mike Miller comes off a double pinch screen for a wide open jumper.

The wide arrange of possibilities make this type of play a godsend for the various strengths for Team USA.